By Sean Werner
Staff Writer
“District 9” was released in theatres nationwide August 14th, 2009. The movie stars Sharlto Copley and is directed by Neill Blomkamp, who also co-wrote the film with Terri Tatchell. However, probably the biggest name associated with this movie is Peter Jackson, who produced the “Lord of the Rings” series.
So what could have attracted Jackson to this project in the first place? After all, he does have Middle Earth on his mind. The back story behind his involvement starts off in another fantastical world, only this time, you would only get to visit it by turning on your XBOX. Jackson originally was working on the “Halo” movie until he decided to drop it, and as in all things, from that death arose “District 9.” With a price-tag of about $30 million, it was fortunate that its opening weekend made $37 million. Factor in future royalties, merchandise and DVD sales, and you can be sure that “District 9” will be far from a box office flop.
In terms of praise, “District 9” has received many positive reviews; it even has a user rating on www.imdb.com of 8.5/10 – a number that’s tough to achieve. Not only does this movie have a very good storyline, but it also keeps you interested and wanting more.
The movie takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, and the plot behind it is that an alien race has flown their ship into Earth’s atmosphere. With this alien ship hovering over Johannesburg, the top world powers form an agency called the Multi-National United in order to create a combining force to deal with the aliens. This movie has a documentary style to it, in which it follows Wikus Van De Merwe around as he tries to carry out a job the Multi-National United agency wants him to do. This sci-fi thriller will keep you hooked throughout the entire movie. Due to the fact this movie has done so well already, it’s rumored that a sequel is in the works, but nothing has been confirmed yet. If you liked this movie and are looking to get even more action, be sure to check out the upcoming “Surrogates” with Bruce Willis.